Selectmen back smaller school committee among agreement changes

Given three wishes for what they’d like to see in an updated Wachusett Regional School District agreement, selectmen would like a smaller school committee, the ability to open negotiations on the agreement from time to time and more control over use and maintenance of school buildings in town.

The list was outlined for members of a WRSD ad hoc subcommittee at a meeting at Davis Hill Elementary School on Jan. 9.

Selectmen supported downsizing the school committee from its current 20 members. However, based on the latest census figures, the committee is actually due to increase by two more members in May. Those members will come from Holden, giving the town 10 of the 22 seats on the committee.

The formula that sets the size of the school committee assigns two members to the town with the lowest population, and scales the number of delegates for larger towns. Each member town’s share will remain the same until the next census in 2017.

WRSD committee member Steven Hammond of Holden said the committee has considered options such as setting the committee at anywhere between five and 21 members, going to weighted votes or having each town give up two seats, a move that the town of Paxton opposes.

There is no immediate plan before the committee to downsize, he said.

Select board chair Anthony Renzoni said a smaller committee would put more power into the hands of the voters, by making committee members more accountable to the public.

School committee member Julianne Kelley of Rutland said that once nomination papers go out for the two new seats, the district will be unable to eliminate the seats without going to state approval.

The WRSD fully regionalized in 1994, incorporating grades K–8 into the regional agreement, which was already in effect for the high school. At that time, there were 18 school committee members.

As far as towns having the ability to open, or reconsider aspects of the agreement, Kelley said she didn’t think the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would “go for that.”

Selectmen also asked that the town have access to schools for an annual maintenance audit, and that the schools be available for use as shelters during emergencies.